Huntington Ingalls Inc. is being awarded a contract modification to exercise option year two for life cycle engineering and support services for the LPD-17 class Amphibious Transport Dock Ship program.

The cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification, valued at around 50.6 million, was awarded by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) located in Washington DC. Fiscal 2012 and 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated at time of award.

The contract work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (96 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (1 percent); San Diego, California (1 percent); Mayport, Florida (1 percent); and Sasebo, Japan (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2018.

San Antonio-class LPD

San Antonio-class is a class of amphibious transport docks, also called a landing platform/dock (LPD), used by the United States Navy.

These warships replace the older Austin-class LPDs (including Cleveland and Trenton sub-classes), as well as the Newport-class tank landing ships, and the Charleston-class amphibious cargo ships that have already been retired.

The San Antonio-class was designed to provide the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey, air-cushioned landing craft (LCACs), and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore.

The ship is more than 45 percent larger than the Austin class, displacing more than 25,000 tons at full load. It carries fewer troops, but has twice as much space for vehicles, landing craft, and aircraft.

Twelve ships of the San Antonio class were proposed, but only eleven were funded. Their original target price was $890 million; as built, their average cost is $1.6 billion.

Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 2015 included partial funding for a twelfth San Antonio-class ship.

As of Dec. 2017, ten warships of this class are in service with the U.S. Navy, one has been delivered to the Navy but yet to be commissioned and one under construction.